Editing Seguin, Texas (section)

===Early history===
[[José Antonio Navarro]], one of the earliest settlers and an important figure of Texas history, developed a ranch near Seguin.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.texas-settlement.org/markers/guadalupe/38.html |title=TSR: Historical Markers Guide: Guadalupe County: Navarro, Jose Antonio, Ranch |access-date=July 7, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720081355/http://www.texas-settlement.org/markers/guadalupe/38.html |archive-date=July 20, 2008}}, Texas Settlement</ref> In 1831, land was granted to Umphries Branch by the Mexican government. The Branch and John Newton Sowell Sr. families settled in 1833 in the western part of [[Green DeWitt]]'s colony.<ref name="tsha1">[https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hes03 "Seguin, Texas"], ''Handbook of Texas Online''</ref> Sowell was a farmer, and in 1833 he and his brothers became the first Anglo-American immigrants to raise corn in future Guadalupe County.<ref>[http://www.tamu.edu/faculty/ccbn/dewitt/sowellfam.htm "Sowell Family"], Texas A&M University</ref>

Between 1827 and 1835, 22 families came to the area as part of the [[DeWitt Colony]]; by 1833, 40 land titles were in the region, 14 of which received grants directly from the Mexican government.<ref>Vivian Elizabeth Smyrl, "GUADALUPE COUNTY," ''Handbook of Texas Online'' <https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcg12>. Retrieved April 29, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.</ref> In 1836, John Gladden King lived near Seguin. His farm neighbored the Sowells on the northwest and Branch on the southeast. A son, William Philip King, reportedly was part of a cannon crew and was the youngest defender killed during the [[Battle of the Alamo]].<ref>Russell S. Hall, "KING, JOHN GLADDEN", ''Handbook of Texas Online'' <https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fki72>. Retrieved May 14, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.</ref> These homesteads were abandoned in the [[Runaway Scrape]].